Pneumatic recoil-check for gun-carriages



(No Model.)

H,. A. SPILLER. PNEUMATIC REGOIL CHECK FOR GUN OARRIAGBS.

N0.Y463,462. Patented Nov. 17, 1891 I l l 1 I NVENT'OFL 3 7 all?" M. I 1

' UNiTnn STATES ATENT OFFICE.

HARRY A. SPILLER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE PNEU- MATICGUN CARRIAGE AND POIVER COMPANY, OF IVHEELING, IVEST VIRGINIA.

PNEUMATIC RECOlL-CHECK FOR GUN-CARRIAGES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 463,462, dated November17, 1891.

Application filed October 3, 1889. Serial No. 325,861. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HARRY A. SPILLER, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and

a resident of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Pneumatic Recoil-Checks for Gun- Oarriages, of which thefollowing is a full,

' clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to recoil-checks for guns, and particularly tothat class in which aeriform fluid under pressure is utilized to act asa cushion to take up the recoil and counter-recoil.

[5 The object of the invention is to produce a recoil-check particularlydesigned for fieldcarriages, whereby the recoil and counter-recoil of agun shall be taken up without shock to the carriage or its appurtenancesand the gun automatically returned after each discharge to its normalposition ready for firing.

\Vith this object in view the invention resides, essentially, in afield-gun carriage having a sliding portion upon which the gun is to bemounted and one or more cylinders attached to the sliding portion andhaving their piston-rods attached to the main portion of the carriage.

Furthermore, the invention resides in a field gun carriage having aportion upon which the gun is mounted capable of movement during therecoil and counter-recoil of the gun and to bring the gun to positionfor firing, a cylinder or cylinders attached to this moving portion andhaving their piston-rods attached to the main portion of the carriage,and one or more air-pumps located on the carrige and communicating withthe cylinders, whereby compressed air may be supplied to cylinders.

Furthermore, the invention resides in a field-gun carriage comprising amoving portion on which the gun is to be mounted, a cylinder orcylinders attached to the moving part and having their piston-rodshollow and attached to the main portion of the carriage, and an air-p11nip or ail-pumps pivoted to the main portion of the carriage tofacilitate their use and communicating with the piston rod or rods.

Furthermore, theinvention resides in a fieldgun carriage comprising amoving portion upon which the gun is to be mounted, an air cylinder orcylinders connected to the moving portion and having their piston-rodsconnected with the main portion of the carriage, the pistons having apassage through them provided with a check-valve, and an air pump orpumps mounted on the main portion of the carriage and communicating withthe pistons.

Furthermore, the invention consists in the combination, with agun-carriage constructed as above outlined, of a leather packing of cupshape held on the cylinder, an oil-cup held on the cylinder, a passageconnecting the oil-cup and the cup-shaped packing, and a passage fromthe air-cylinder, whereby compressed air may be admitted to force thecup-shaped packing into contact with the piston.

Furthermore, the invention resides in va- 7o rious novel details ofconstruction whereby the object of the invention is attained.

I have illustrated the invention in the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1 is a central longitudinal vertical section of a gun-carriageand of an air-cylinder of the mechanism of this invention and a sideelevation of the gun and other parts, the gun and air-cylinder bothbeing in position for firing the gun. Fig. 2 is a plan view made inaccordance with my invention. Fig.

3 is an enlarged central longitudinal vertical section of air-cylinder.piston-head, and piston-rod. Fig. at is an enlarged transverse sectionon the line 4 4: of Fig. 2. Figs. 5 and G are views in diagram. Fig. 5shows by dotted lines a curving line in illustration of increase ofair-pressure in the air-cylinder at the front of the piston-head underthe recoil of the gun it the air thereof is not allowed 0 as therebycompressed to pass or to communicate its then increased pressure to theairat the back of the piston-head,and by full line a curving line inillustration of increase of air-pressure in the cylinder at the front of5 the piston-head under the recoil of the gun when the air as therebycompressed is allowed to pass or to communicate its then increasedpressure to the air at the backof the pistonhead; and Fig. 6 shows byfull lines a curv- 10o ing line in illustration of increase ofairpressure under the recoil of the gun and uir der the conditions ofair-pressure shown by full lines, Fig. 5, at the back of the pistonhead.

In the drawings, K represents the gun. The carriage is shown asconsisting of a trail L and supporting-wheels both of the constructionordinarily employed in field-gun carriages. The gun has trunnions K onits opposite sides, and by these it is suspended in bearings L L of theopposite parallel sides L which form parts of a frame, the other part ofwhich is the cross-piece L by which the sides are connected. The framelies under and extends across and beyond the sides of the gun and isprovided with parallel guideways L fitting over and held on the oppositeand parallel rails L L fixed to the trail L of the gun-carriage. Theguideways are preferably arranged obliquely to the axis of the gun andinclined downward from a point just in advance of and below thetrunnions offlthe gun toward a point below and forward of the breech ofthe gun, and all so that the frame,carrying the gun with it, can slideforward and backward on said guideways L traveling in its forwardmovement upward and its backward movement downward on the guideways.

R R are two air-cylinders immovably held on the sliding frame andarranged side by side between the guide-rails L of the guncarriage L,with their axes in parallel vertical planes, also vertically parallelwith the vertical planes of the parallel guide-rails and extendingobliquely in lines parallel to the oblique lines of direction of theguide-rails. Both air-cylinders are closed at their forward or frontheads R R and they have communication with each other through anair-port R leading between and opening to both, in order that thepressure of air in the two may be equalized.

It R are the piston-heads of the cylinders, each being of acorresponding diameter of its air-cylinder, so that when concentricallylocated in the air-cylinders there is an open annular space R betweeneach piston-head and the wall of the cylinder in which it is placed.

R R represent two piston-rods, each concentrically held on itspiston-head and extending therefrom through the head R of theair-cylinder and axially coincident with the axis of the cylinder andrigidly held on a rigid cross-head L of the trail L of the guncarriage.Each air-cylinder in operation is to move forward and backward on itspistonrod, and both rods held on the trail of the gun-carriage, as hasbeen described, are of suitable length and arrangementwith relation tothe air-cylinders moving on them to permit of the backward and forwardmovement of the air-cylinders a distance nearly equal to the full lengthof the air-cylinders.

I have shown one of the piston-rods as provided with a passage or wayIt, extending from end to end through the piston-head of the rod,permitting the introduction of air into the air-cylinder to which therod belongs at the front end of the pistonhead, and thence into theadjoining air-cylinder through the air-port R making communicationbetween the two air-cylinders, as has been explained, to secure thecharging of both cylinders with air at and in front of the piston-headof each. The air-passage R has a check-valve R to open against and toclose with the air-pressure in the air ylinders. The rear end of theair-passage in the piston-rod is connected through a pipe R with anair-pump R of any suitable construction and capable of pumping air at ahigh pressure, and this airpump in turn is connected with anotherairpump R lying alongside of it, and which is of any suitableconstruction and capable of pumping air at a low pressure. The airpumpsare held on a cross-piece L and are preferably hinged, so that the pumpswhen not in use may be laid on the trail and for use placed in anupright position, as shown, Fig. 1, dotted lines.

The air-cylinders are charged with air under a high pressure 'by meansof the airpumps, first using the one of low pressure and then the one ofhigh pressure, and this air-pressure is to be such as on the dischargeof the gun, which still further increases its pressure, to otfer properresistance to the recoil and counter-recoil of the gun and to secure thereturn of the gun to its normal position automatically, as willhereinafter more fully appear. The air-cylinder charged with air underpressure, as above described, the air-cylinders being then at theirforward and normal positions and the piston-heads at the rear ends ofthe air-cylinders, will, upon discharge of the gun, be thrown backward,forcing the piston-rods against the pressure of the confined air of theair-cylinders. The air further compressed thereby in resistance to therecoil of the gun and air-cylinders is forced through the annular spacearound the piston-heads to the rear side of the pistonhead, which beingalso compressed on the counter-recoil of the gun, carrying theaircylinders with it, acts in resistance thereto until finally the gunand air-cylinders from the action of the compressed air within theair-cylinders come to a rest at their respective normal positions andthe piston-heads to a rest at the rear heads of the air-cylinders.

In the arrangement of air-cylinders and piston-heads and piston-rodsdescribed the forward head of each air-cylinder presents a superficialarea of air-pressure greater than that presented by the rear head of thecylinder and to an extent equal to the superficial area transversely ofthe piston-rod, thereby securing for resistance to the recoil of the gunthe maximum pressure of air in the aircylinder and for resistance to thecounters recoil of the gun the minimum pressure of the air in theair-cylinders. In both instances the normal air-pressure is increased bythe compression of the air by the backward move-- ment or recoil of thegun and air-cylinders, allowed on the recoil to communicate with theair-cylinders at the back of the pistonhead's because of the openannular space surrounding each piston-head, and on the counter-recoil ofthe gun and air-cylinders which follows to similarly communicate withthe air-cylinders at the front of the pistonheads when, because of thegreater pressure of air on the forward heads of the air-cylinders, owingto their greater superficial area as compared with that of the rearheads of the air-cylinders, the air-cylinders and gun are returned totheir forward and normal positions of rest in readiness for firing thegun.

The diagrams Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate by full lines the compression ofair at the front and rear of the piston-heads under the recoil of thegun andsubstantially howthe compression is divided in the air-cylindersas between the front and the rear of the pistonheads and the reductionin air-pressure at the front of the piston-heads from what it wouldthere be (shown in dotted lines, Fig. 5) under the recoil of the gun ifthe air as it is compressed by the recoil at the front of thepiston-heads had no communication with the air-cylinders at the back ofthe piston-heads.

Although two air-cylinders and two pistonheads and two pistonuods-one ofeach for each air-cylinderhave been described, only one air-cylinderwith it's piston-head and piston, substantially as explained, may beused, and again three or more cylinders with a piston head and rod foreach, as explained, may be used, and therefore the invention is no to belimited in these regards. 4

As has been before stated, the extension of each piston-rod through theheads of its aircylinder ispacked and under this invention as follows:The packing is of leather in two annular sections S S, placed alongsideof each other, edge opposite edge, with an open space S between andwithin a groove S at top and bottom of section of suitable shape of thecylinder-head. Each leather ring-section surrounds and rests on thepiston-rod, and the two line the walls of the groove in thecylinder-head, and together placed, as stated, they make a chamber Sopen at the spaces S to the piston-rod and to a passage S leadingradially through the piston-head and into a closed cup S containing oil,and from which oil is conducted through said passage S to fill thechamber S of the leather packing-ring sections S. S is an air-passageconnecting the air-cylinder and oil-cup S and securing air-pressure onthe oil in the cup and cham ber of the leather packing to hold thepacking to its work, while at the same time to keep the rod andcylinder-head lubricated, and the leather, because of the presence andcontact of oil with it, as stated, being always in a moist condition forits practical and efficient action. There is also shown in the drawingsa mechanism well known and which is carried in most of its parts by thesliding frame L L carrying the gun, by which it elevates and depressesthe same. This mechanism consists,- essentially, of depending toothedrack-bars T 'l, pivoted at their upper ends on opposite sides of thegun, and pinion gearwheels T T on a shaft meshing the rackbars 1 andadapted by meshing worm-gears T T one T held by the pinions T and theother having an operating hand-wheel T all as well known, to secure byturningthe handwheel in one direction an elevation and in the otherdirection a depression of the muzzle of the gun.

Preferably the air-cylinder is held on the gun and the piston-rod isheld on the gun support, all as has been herein particularly described;but obviously the air-cylinder and piston-head and its rod may bereversed in position-that is, the air-cylinder held on the gun-supportand the piston-head and its rod held on the gun without material orsubstantial changes either in construction or relative arrangement ofthe parts-and I donot wish to be understood as limiting myself in thisrespect. \Vith the parts reversed and with the gun at rest the pistonhead would of course be at the upper head of the air-cylinder instead ofat its lower end.

In conclusion,it will be observed that, while air is the fluid speciallymentioned as used for the operation of the mechanism of this invention,as herein described, the invention is not limited in this regard.

lVhile I have particularly herein described a peculiar piston-rodpacking, I do not wish to be understood as herein claiming the same, asit will form the subject-matter of another application for patent.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A field-gun carriage comprising a moving portion on which the gun isto be mounted, a cylinder or cylinders attached to the moving part-andhaving their piston-rods hollow and attached to the main portion of thecarriage, and an air-pump or air-pumps mounted on the main portion ofthe carriage and connected with the piston-rods, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a field-gun carriage, the moving portion on which the carriage isto be mounted, an air-cylinder or aircylinders connected with the movingportion and having their piston-rods hollow and attached to the mainportion of the carriage, and a pneumatic pump or pneumatic pumps pivotedto the main portion of the carriage and connected with the hollowpiston-rods, substantially as described.

3. In a field-gun carriage, a moving portion upon which the gun is to bemounted, an aircylinder 01' air-cylinders connected with the movingportion. and having their piston-rods In testimony whereof I havehereunto set hollow, provided with check-valves and atmy hand in thepresence of two subscribing tachetl to the main portion of the carriage,Witnesses.

and a, pneumatic pump or pneumatic pumps HARRY A. SPILLER. 5 mounted onthe front portion of the carriage \Vitnesses:

and connected With the hollow piston-rods, ALBERT \V. BROWN,substantially as described. I HENRY F. MOKEEVER.

